Hammer-action for player musical instruments.



B. R. VAN VALKENBURG.

HAMMER ACTION FOR PLAYER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1911.

1,059,507. Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

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Y B. R. VAN VALKBNBURG. HAMMER ACTION FOR PLAYER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

' APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1911. I 1,059,507. Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

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UNITED STATES BURT R. VAN VALKENBURG,

OF OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA.

HAMMER-ACTION FOR PLAYER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

Application filed December 4, 1911. Serial No. 663,882.

To all whom it may concern 1 Be it known that I, BURT R. VAN VAL-KENB'URG, a citizen of the United States,residing at Oakland, in thecounty of Ala meda and State of California, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Hammer-Actions for Player MusicalInstruments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to musical instruments and has special referenceto a musical instrument of the type used to represent the chimes and thelike, the instrument including such devices as Xylophones,metallophones, and other like instruments where a bar, tube, or hell isarranged for impact with a hammer to produce the required musical note.j The principal object of the invention is to provide an instrument ofthis character adapted for use with the pneumatics common in playerpianos, and of improved con struction so that the hammer will not remainin contact with the article upon which it strikes after impact thereon,thus enabling the bar or the like to vibrate freely out of contact withthe hammer after being set in vibration by the blow.

With the above and other objects in view, the. invention consistsofcertainnovel details of construction, and combinations and arrangementsof parts as will be hereinafter fully described, illustratedin theaccompanying drawings, and specifically claimed.

In the accompanying drawings like characters of reference indicate likeparts inthe several views, and: Figure 1 is a transverse section throughan instrument of thls type.

Fig. 2 is a partial plan view of such an instrument. Fig. 3 is a similartransverse section showing the position assumed by the hammer afterstriking the article adapted for the production of sound. Fig. 4 is aview in elevation of a portion of a player piano with an instrument ofthis type attached.

In the construction of this instrument a base board 10 is provided atone longitudinal end whereof is an upstanding strip 11. At each end ofthe base board 10 is an inverted U-shaped frame 12 having feet 13extending outward and secured to the base board by means of suitablescrews 14. Mounted on the frame 12 is a board 15 whereon is mounted aseries of pneumatic bellows 16 each of which communicates through apassage 17 with a suitable pipe'18 leading to a controlling mechanism sothat air may be exhausted from the respective pneumatic. A form of thiscontrolling mechanism, is shown in Fig. 4, in which the pneumatic 16co-acts with the pneumatic 16 Adjacent one edge of this board is aseries of openings 19, each being positioned centrally with reference tothe breadth of the respective pneumatic, and through these openingsdepend rods 20 which have their upper ends held in suitable openings inthe top boards 21 of the pneumatics, the rods being adjusted in saidopenings by means of the nuts 22 screwed on the upper ends thereof. Onthe upper edge of the board 11 and centrally alined with the respectiveneumatics is a series of hinge plates 23 whereto are hinged shanks 24 ofstrikers provided with hammer heads 25. Beneath each of the plates 23-is secured a spring 26 which is held in position by the screws 27 whichhold the plates 23 to the board 11 and the free end of each spring bearson the underside of a respective shank 24 so that the shank is normallykept in the raised position indicated in Fig. 1, the hammer head havingits upper end bearing against a strip of felt or the like, as indicatedat 27. These shanks 24 are held to the hinged members 23 by pivot pins28. The rod 20 has its lower end extending through a suitable opening 29in the respective shank 24, and above the shank there is provided a nut30 so that the handle may be adjusted with respect to the rod 20. Thelower end of the rod 20 moves freely in the opening 29 so that the shank24 may have motion downward from the nut 30 but will be prevented frommoving up along the rod past said nut. At the free end of each of thetop boards 21 of the bellows 16 is a short rod 31 having a head 32 onits lower end which is preferably of some soft material to prevent noiseand this rod is provided with nuts 23 on each side of the respectiveboard 21 so that the rod may be adjusted with reference to the board.The head 32 is arranged to strike on the top of the board 15 near itsedge, thus acting as a stop to limit the movement of the board 21 in onedirection.

Extending longitudinally of the board 10 are strips 34 whereon aresecured strips of felt or other like soft material as indicated at 35and in the present instance a number of bars 35 are shown resting onthese strips the lengths of the bars being graduated or their sizevarying to produce the different notes which it is desired to use in theproduction of the imitation of chimes, or the like.

In the operation of the device when air is admitted through any openingin the tracker board 6, the valve 9 is raised in the usual manner. Thisallows air to be exhausted from pneumatic 16 and the corresponding tube18. This defiates the pneumatic 16 which closes rapidly and forces thehammer 25 down against the action of the spring 26. As the stop 2contacts with the board 15 the movement of the rod 20 downwardly ceasesand this is arranged to take place in a position approximately thatshown in Fig. 3, the inertia of movement of the hammer 25 carrying thehammer still farther downward until the same contacts with therespective member 36 which it is desired to strike. As soon as thehammer strikes this board and sets the same in vibration the hammer willrebound, and the spring 26 will again assume the position shown in Fig.3 and leave the struck member 86 to vibrate freely without interferenceby the hammer. When the pneumatic is again inflated the parts all assumethe position shown in Fig. l, the spring 26 causing the hammer to rise.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new, is

1. A device of the character described comprising a base board, avertical strip extending along one edge of said base board, supportscarried by said base board, a bellows carried by said support, a rodadjustably connected with the removable member of said bellows andpassing through an opening formed in the stationary member of saidbellows, a stop rod adjustably secured ad jacent the free end of theremovable member of said bellows for limiting its downward movement, ahinge plate secured to said vertical strip, a hammer having its shankpivotally connected with said hinge plate, a resilient strip secured atone end of said vertical strip and having its free end engaging theshank of said hammer ior normally holding the same in a raised position,the inner end of said first mentioned rod passing through an openingformed in the shank of said hammer and being provided with a collarengaging the upper edge of the shank, and means carried by said baseboard and adapted to be struck by said hammer upon said bellows beingdeflated.

2. In a device of the character described, a base board, a bellowssupported above said base board, a hammer pivotally connected with saidbase board and having its shank provided with a vertical opening, a rodpassing through an opening formed in the stationary member of saidbellows and having its threaded upper end passing through the movablemember of said bellows, nuts threaded upon the upper end of said rodabove and below the movable member for holding said rod in an adjustedposition, the lower end of said rod passing through an opening formed inthe shank of said hammer, a collar formed upon the lower end portion ofsaid rod for moving said hammer with said rod, resilient means fornormally holding said hammer in a raised position, a stop rod forlimiting the contraction of said bellows adjustably connected with thefree end portion of the movable member of said bellows, and meanscarried by said base board and adapted to be.struck by said hammer. V

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BURT R. VAN VALKENBURG.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH ,WE'YNACHT,

J. Y HO'FFMAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of ratentl, Washington, D. G.

